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Steven Cheung walks before Donald Trump votes on Election Day at the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center, Nov. 5, in Palm Beach, Fla.
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Trump names Steven Cheung as his White House communications director

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Trump names Steven Cheung as his White House communications director

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump announced Friday that Steven Cheung will serve as his White House communications director and Sergio Gor will serve as assistant to the president and the director of presidential personnel. Both have been advisers to the president-elect since his 2016 campaign, Trump said.

He also named Karoline Leavitt, his campaign press secretary, to serve as his White House press secretary. She would be the youngest White House press secretary in history.

Cheung led communications for Trump’s latest campaign, where he gained a reputation for attacks on the Republican’s opponents. A native of Sacramento, he worked in Republican politics and for the Ultimate Fighting Championship before joining Trump’s team in 2016.

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Cheung also has been long known as a defender of Trump, but his role has primarily been behind the cameras. He is active on social media, where he remains a vociferous defender of his boss.

He assumes a position that saw unusual turnover during Trump’s first term. During that term, six different people held that title under seven different stints. None lasted more than a year.

Cheung handled Trump’s communications during several newsworthy incidents during the campaign, including the aftermath of an alleged incident at Arlington National Cemetery, where an apparent confrontation between a cemetery worker and members of Trump’s campaign drew a rebuke from the Army. Cheung promised to release video showing that confrontation, but never did.

Gor, an associate of Trump, ran Winning Team Publishing, which he started with Donald Trump, Jr. The company has published books by Trump and his allies. Gor also led the super PAC Right for America.

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Leavitt, currently a spokesman for Trump’s transition, is 27 years old. Previously that distinction of youngest press secretary went to Ronald Ziegler, who was 29 when he took the position in 1969 in Richard Nixon’s administration.

“Karoline is smart, tough, and has proven to be a highly effective communicator. I have the utmost confidence she will excel at the podium, and help deliver our message to the American People as we Make America Great Again,” Trump said in a statement.

Leavitt replied in a post on X, formerly Twitter: “Thank you, President Trump, for believing in me. I am humbled and honored. Let’s MAGA,” the acronym for “Make America Great Again.”

The White House press secretary typically serves as the public face of the administration and historically has held daily briefings for the press corps.

Leavitt, a New Hampshire native, is seen as a staunch and camera-ready advocate for Trump who is quick on her feet and delivers aggressive defenses of the Republican in television interviews.

She was a spokesman for MAGA Inc., a super PAC supporting Trump, before joining his 2024 campaign. In 2022, she ran for Congress in New Hampshire, winning a 10-way Republican primary before losing to incumbent Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas.

During Trump’s first term in office, Leavitt worked in the White House press office. She then became communications director for New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, whom Trump has tapped to serve as his U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

The position of White House communications director is separate from the role as White House press secretary, though people have served both roles simultaneously in the past.

Following his announcement Thursday of North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum as his choice to head the Interior Department, Trump announced on Friday that Burgum will also lead a newly created National Energy Council that will seek to establish U.S. “energy dominance” around the world.

Burgum, in his new role, will oversee a panel that crosses all executive branch agencies involved in energy permitting, production, generation, distribution, regulation and transportation, Trump said in a statement. As chairman of the National Energy Council,Burgum will have a seat on the National Security Council, Trump said.

First Published November 16, 2024, 4:38 a.m.

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Steven Cheung walks before Donald Trump votes on Election Day at the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center, Nov. 5, in Palm Beach, Fla.  (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Gov. Doug Burgum, R-ND., speaks during the Republican National Convention, July 17, in Milwaukee.  (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
President-elect Donald Trump listens during an America First Policy Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Thursday.  (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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